Main menu

The Murano CrossCabriolet has been on sale since 2011, but has suffered from a high price and slow sales. Photo by Nissan

Nissan axing Murano CrossCabriolet and Cube

Slow-selling models won't return to Nissan's 2015 lineup

July 17, 2014

Share

Facebook

Tweet

Pinterest

Email

Nissan has booted the Murano CrossCabriolet and the Cube from its 2015 lineup, Automotive News reports. The two models have been the marque's slowest selling in recent months, and apparently the pair have not been able to maintain enough interest from car buyers to be kept in the lineup for another year.

The Murano CrossCabriolet debuted for the 2011 model year and is said to have been Nissan Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn's personal favorite, which explains why this somewhat odd bodystyle made it into production. The cabriolet produced 265 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque channeled to all four wheels via a CVT, and rode on a reinforced two-door version of the outgoing Murano chassis. With a base price of $42,855 for the 2014 model year the Murano CrossCabriolet was a niche product in a price point where a number of luxurious cabriolets lived, cabriolets that were not based on CUVs. It was also priced $13,465 north of the starting price of the four-door Murano, a figure some buyers may have equated with the cost of a second car.

The Cube was launched at a time when fuel economy was at a premium, but several new models from Nissan itself have since shown better figures. Photo by Nissan

The departing Cube has been on offer longer than the CrossCabriolet, since 2009 to be exact, and despite the presence of a couple other cube-shaped vehicles on the market (like the Scion xB), sales have wallowed in recent years. The Cube recorded just 2,294 sales during the first half of 2014, down 31 percent from that same time period last year. The Cube initially performed well when it was launched, promising fuel economy north of 30 mpg during the start of an economic recession when sales of larger and more expensive cars and trucks took a hit, but its appeal in the marketplace turned out to be short-lived. The launch of a number of new and redesigned models offering better fuel economy, including the Altima, Sentra, Versa, and Rogue, no doubt played a part in the declining popularity of the Cube.